Via Media

January 1970 Archives

Today is the memorial of St. Jerome – whom we should go read about right now. Let’s see…where? Start here for a brief introduction Here Links to online texts of many of his works, including his letters, here. From his […]

The Sun-Sentinel focuses on the parish’s new pastor, and how he has been trying to clean up the mess he was left The Palm Beach Post has more details of the ongoing investigation: Skehan, 79, was arrested at Palm Beach […]

French high school philosophy teacher goes into hiding from thugs who threaten him for expressing his opinion: In his commentary, Mr. Redeker compared Islam unfavorably to Christianity and Judaism, although he admitted that the history of the Catholic Church was […]

ADL says that there’s a growing "theory" in popular culture in the Mideast that Benedict is really…all about the Jews. Cartoons and editorials published in newspapers in the Arab/Muslim world falsely portray Jews as the manipulators behind Pope Benedict XVI […]

Catholic News Service does an article on the various voting guides for Catholics that are out there – from state Catholic conferences, as well as independent groups like Catholic Answers and the fairly new Catholics in Alliance for the Common […]

Cardinal Bertone addressed many Vatican diplomats today in his new capacity as Secretary of State: Speaking at the “Duke’s Hall” Cardinal Bertone, offered his thanks for the many messages of welcome and good wishes he received on his appointment September […]

….here’s your police report from down in Delray Beach. Interesting line: "all parish employees received $100 extra in cash each week." I’m still trying to figure out how it all adds up to 8.6 mil, but I’ve not expended a […]

Well, a few. I’ve got something I really need to get done, it’s naptime, so it’s 2 hours and counting ’til my work time runs out. Some things I’ve been looking at: At Mirror of Justice, there is an interesting […]

A heart-rending story from Arizona, but a story that is about nothing but love: The couple was faced with considering the doctors’ suggestions of an abortion, which would allow Veronica to undergo chemotherapy, or saving the baby, which would mean […]

"The priesthood is not a means for social advancement" – to the bishops of Malawi, on their ad limina "In a world dominated by secular and materialist values, it can be hard to maintain the counter-cultural manner of life that […]

Here’s the full text of Archbishop Pell’s address to the 2006 National Catholic Education Conference, Sydney: It begins rather provocatively. A big surprise from Pell, I know: Catholics have always been the most significant and interesting minority in Australian history. […]

This amused me. Mark Goodacre, over at NT Gateway Weblog (he’s a Scripture scholar, currently teaching at ….) notes that in the General Audience on Wednesday, Benedict referenced the Gospel of and Acts of Thomas. From the GA: The fourth […]

A Christianity Today piece on Christians and Muslims in Lebanon, which, as per usual with CT, and as noted by Gashwin, completely ignores, you know, Catholics and Orthodox. This is unfortunately fairly standard in CT’s coverage of stories about "Christians" […]

…only Preston Sturges’ version would be classier. Two stories, the Palm Beach Post Whatley and special agent John Marinello of the Florida Department of Law Enforcement were assigned the case in June 2005. Whatley interviewed several former St. Vincent church […]

Cardinal Zen of Hong Kong says he has asked the Pope for permission to retire so he might devote more attention to issues related to the Church in mainland China. Chinese Catholic Patriotic Association announces construction of big seminary Much […]

I may have driven past Dayton on 75 countless times, but this evening was the first time I actually went into the place. I’m extremely irritated to report that despite the fact that Dayton, according to the 2000 census, has […]

Sorry to be so repetitive – but the Cardinal’s latest post has lots of interesting photos of Behind the Vatican Walls – stuff you normally don’t see photographs of, including the famous Latin ATM machine (the photo’s too small to […]

The Pope and Henry Kissinger, today. Benedict also met with the new German ambassador to the Vatican today: Believing that each person is created in the image of God, the Catholic Church hopes all people will come to know the […]

Project Sycamore: The purpose of Project Sycamore is to provide a source of information, a means of communication, and a collective voice to Notre Dame alumni and others in the Notre Dame family who are concerned about preserving the Catholic […]

This just breaking from Palm Beach…fuzzy and confusing details, but two priests have been charged with stealing 8.6 million from a parish over 40 years’ time. Two former priests at St. Vincent Ferrer Catholic Church in Delray Beach have been […]

…with Cardinal Pell YOUNG Catholics are more confused about religion than other Christian groups their age. Cardinal George Pell will warn the National Catholic Education Commission’s annual conference today that young members of the church seem to regard life as […]

As the reader who sent this said, "reminds me of the time I repudiated the ‘D" I got in Physics." Milingo’s reaction. There’s a little canonical analysis, but not nearly enough, and the Unification tie is mentioned, but barely. There’s […]

A bit more commentary on Monday’s meeting with Muslim leaders, all courtesy of Papa Ratzinger Forum: Photo thread here. Also found on that thread are photos of a very happy religious sister from yesterday’s General Audience. From Avvenire, the newspaper […]

I don’t know if this just happened recently, but I just noticed that the entire text of the Compendium of the Social Teaching of the Catholic Church is online at the Vatican website. It seems to be the whole text, […]

Henry Kissinger, in the area for other meetings, will meet with Benedcit tomorrow at Castel Gandolfo Also, via the Papa Raztinger Forum, an analysis of the Monday meeting from Il Giornale: But Benedict XVI said more, in a sense going […]

At the USCCB: The first interesting point is that a part of the restructuring plan involves cutting the diocesan assessment to the USCCB by 16%. Under the plan, the "diocesan assessment" — essentially a tax that each dioceses pays to […]

Today is the memorial of St. Vincent de Paul, extraordinary servant of the poor. Some links: The Catholic Encyclopedia article on St. Vincent Most intriguingly, the Vincentians have a Wiki-type site with LOTS of articles. It’s a really excellent use […]

The questions about exactly what the deal is with the "bishops" ordained by Milingo on Saturday are still unanswered. At this point, I’ve not seen anything really substantive, looking at all the elements in one spot, but for now, check […]

A quite interesting essay from Down Under about the Jesuit mode of education in the Early Modern Era, and its possible application to the present: A Jesuit education culminated, ideally, in the higher study of philosophy, science and theology, but […]

Using Cantonese opera to evangelize in Hong Kong: Father Edward Chau King-fun, during his talk in the middle of the concert, identified three qualities common to evangelization and opera singing. The priest, who is knowledgeable in Chinese culture, said an […]

Here’s the 2006 "Catholic High School Honor Roll" – determined by I don’t know who based on I don’t know what – but the advisory board is solid, including presidents of not only the usual suspsects like CUA and Creighton, […]

Today’s General Audience: The proverbial “unbelief” of Thomas is of comfort for all who have doubts and uncertainties, while the questions he asked Jesus about his divinity give “us too the right to ask Jesus for explanations”. With this modern […]

A case with a twist: The nun was in a panic when Aliquippa police officers came to take her report of a mugging. The missing cash meant nothing — the 78-year-old had her wallet snatched years earlier on a mission […]

A short but helpful look at the role of reason in Islam, part of a larger package at MercatorNet This took place over an argument, already begun in the seventh and eighth centuries, about the status of reason in relationship […]

Woman kills boyfriend, then herself. And reportedly utters a clue to what might have driven her over the edge: Laura Grunas, a Plantation police officer, argued with her boyfriend Robert Peat on Aug. 4, and police had to tell her […]

A NYTimes travel piece takes you there, noting that some relative political calm has made travel more possible: The most revered Aksumite kings were Kaleb and his son Gabremeskal (literally, Slave of the Cross), who spread Christianity from the royal […]

Those of you interested in Graham Greene will want to read this lengthy piece from the Times Literary Supplement on Greene’s Catholicism, refracted through the prism of the writing he did for the Tablet.

Von Hagens at it again; from Ruth Gledhill’s blog: The story, which came in from a freelance, is that campaigners are protesting against a new crucifixion documentary featuring a real human corpse hung on a cross and anatomised by the […]

…cause the Catholics are providing them with so many leaders. Terrence Berres points to the new director of the Islamic Society of Milwaukee: convert from Catholicism Which follows up on last week’s buzz about the new head of the Islamic […]

Not really – an interview with physicist Dr. Stephen Barr The interview touches on many matters of interest, including, naturally, the origin of life. Here’s a pertinent passage that deals with a subject oft discussed around these parts: IgnatiusInsight.com: Critics […]

Milingo excommunicated: from the Vatican website (in Italian) The English version at the Vatican Information Service: "With great concern, the Holy See has followed the recent activities of Archbishop Emmanuel Milingo, emeritus of Lusaka, Zambia, with his new association of […]

From Indianapolis: a brother and sister, both doctors, both deeply involved in serving in Africa: Growing up in a family of 13 kids, you learn very quickly you are not the center of the universe,” Ellen says. “There are all […]

October events: On October 15, the Pope will preside at the canonization of four new saints: Rafael Guizar Valencia (1878- 1938), a Mexican priest and great-uncle of Father Marcial Maciel, founder of the Legionaries of Christ; Filippo Smaldone (1848- 1923), […]

Well, let’s get going on looking at some recent reads. First up is N.T. Wright’s newest book – a short one called Judas and the Gospel of Jesus: Have We Missed the Truth about Christianity? Interesting title since the occasion […]

I think what I’ll take away from the Legatus conference more than anything else (aside from the revelation that Kate O’Beirne is really tall….) was the music at the liturgies. It was provided by the Schola Cantorum San Francisco, which […]

Prelates from the Global South have written with a proposal. Pontifications has basic links and comments More at Christopher Johnson about what is called the "Kigali Communique" Christopher links to a very interesting commentary on this Communique, one that takes […]

I saw this headline in the AZ Republic, and I thought…this is newsworthy…why? 35 people confirmed as Roman Catholics in Latin rite But then I saw…ah…the story is about celebration of the sacrament (for 35 people, ages 9-17) at the […]

There was an interesting policy change in our diocese this summer, promulgated, I believe, on Corpus Christi. I heard about it, but couldn’t find it in writing anywhere at the time, so I forgot until recently, when our pastor announced […]

Robert Araujo. SJ comments on two recent addresses by Archbishop Michael Miller, Secretary for the Congregation for Catholic Education, in the US – at BC and Creighton. At the moment he wrote his post, the texts of the speeches hadn’t […]

A CNS story: The current prefect of the Vatican Secret Archives, Father Sergio Pagano, said in a Sept. 17 article in the Vatican newspaper, L’Osservatore Romano, that the documents offered "a fascinating survey" of the Vatican’s diplomatic dealings at such […]

Dayton-area peeps, remember that I’m speaking at Dayton’s Theology on Tap[, September edition, this coming Thursday, 9/28. Details are here. I’ll be speaking on sort of beyond-the-DVC, pointing out the power of fiction to guide us in exploring great questions […]

A new online Catholic discussion group/board, this one sponsored by Sophia Institute Press Savvy Catholic is a casual place for informed Catholics (and curious non-Catholics) to meet and learn from one another, by discussing their faith, sharing stories about their […]

I suppose we shouldn’t be surprised, from William Saletan at Slate: Several U.S. fertility clinics admit they’ve helped couples deliberately select defective embryos. According to a new survey report, "Some prospective parents have sought [preimplantation genetic diagnosis] to select an […]

Jonah Goldberg might take some heat for this one… This quest for a Muslim Luther centered on the understandable hope that such a person could reform Islam toward liberalization and modernization, just as Luther supposedly did in Europe. The problem […]

…the blog continues. With commentary and photo of Cardinal O’Malley’s trip to San Giovanni Rotondo for the memorial of San Padre Pio and his jaunts around Rome yesterday, which included a visit to the Gesu church (the primary Jesuit church […]

Mel Gibson is doing with Apocalypto what he did with The Passion of the Christ – traveling around to odd little places here and there, showing a cut of the film. The emphasis this times seems to be with Native […]

Here’s the text of what he said. (Delivered in French, btw) Why is inter-religious dialogue necessary? What does it accomplish? Inter-religious and inter-cultural dialogue is a necessity for building together this world of peace and fraternity ardently desired by all […]

I’m back – have been since Sunday morning, but then headed off immediately to Indianapolis to accompany everyone else on an outing that was originally conceived so that everyone could get out of the house and let Mom sleep (yes […]

Cardinal O’Malley’s got another blog post up – he’s getting the hang of this – blogs about travelling pains…and he even uses "LOL" in a post..! While walking through the never ending terminal in Frankfurt….I thought we were going […]

Ambassadors from Muslim nations invited to Vatican on Monday Pope Benedict XVI has invited ambassadors from Muslim nations to meet him on Monday in a bid to calm anger over his use of a medieval text saying their religion was […]

There were more than 6 of them – more like 233. It was the largest mass-beatification in the Church’s history, on March 11, 2001. Here is the text of John Paul II’s homily on the occasion of the beatification of […]

Heaven On Earth: The Theology and Design of Catholic Church Buildings – 10/25-27 at Mundelein in Chicago Modernity: Yearning for the Infinite – 11/30-12/2, sponsored by the Notre Dame Center for Ethics and Culture.

Another Dem presents a different abortion-reduction proposal Just six days after a group of Democrats from the House of Representatives announced legislation aimed at reducing the number of abortions in the United States, a second bill with the same goal […]

Archbishop Silvano Tomasi, the Holy See’s permanent observer to the U.N. office at Geneva, at the Second Session of the Human Rights Council, held today in Geneva: Thank you for the time allotted to discuss the issues of religious tolerance […]

An Italian site in support of the Pope. More at PRF, including some new banners: A couple of days old, but still…a Zenit article on the Italian bisops’ conference statements Cardinal Martino, president of the Pontifical Council for Justice and […]

This one’s a doozy, if true. A RC priest is charged with runnin a fake raffle for years, onstensibly to fund the parish school…which has had to close, naturally. What a case… Each year, the Rev. Robert Ascolese, a well-liked […]

Fr. Rob Johansen preached on the Pope’s statement last Sunday and posts his homily. and one parishioner’s response. Iraq the Model has two posts on the Pope: Anyway, it looks like the reaction of Muslims were not as violent or […]

I’m headed to California tomorrow morning and will be back on Sunday morning. (Yes, there’s a method to my madness. I did the red-eye back the last time I went to CA, and it worked fine. I fell asleep before […]

Stuart Buck corrects Slate’s Timothy Noah. Noah is claiming that the Vatican has gone back and changed Benedict’s Regensburg speech after the fact: He does this in this Slate article. Taking a cue from the Congressional Record, the pope appears […]

Nigeria has been a tinderbox for a while, of course, with Muslim-Christian conflicts flaring up regularly. More trouble yesterday – several churches burned to the ground, supposedly inspired by a verbal exchange between a Muslim man and a Christian woman. […]

On Monday, the Vatican Archives holdings for the years 1922-1939 were opened to scholars. Over sixty researchers visited the Vatican’s secret pre-World War II archives yesterday asking to consult more than 30,000 documents dating from the 1922-1939 papacy of Pius […]

The question is raised again – by Cardinal Cormac Murphy O’Connor: Cardinal Cormac Murphy O’Connor, the archbishop of Westminster, took issue with Prime Minister Tony Blair’s strong advocacy of Turkish membership. "There may be another view that the mixture of […]

It’s Ave Maria Radio’s fundraising drive. From Greg Popcak: We really need your support. Please call 877-288-1077 and become a member at any level–especially if you are a listener to the Heart Mind and Strength via internet or podcast. I […]

The lineup: Programming highlights: (All times ET) * The Catholic Guy, hosted by Lino Rulli (weekdays, 5-8pm). The 34-year-old Rulli is the Emmy award-winning host and executive producer of the popular TV show Generation Cross and […]

Sister Leonella Sgorbati is buried in Kenya: In his homily, Giorgio Bertin, bishop of Djibouti and Somalia, noted the smile on the face of Sgorbati, whose body was laid out for viewing. He urged mourners to draw positive lessons from […]

I finally tracked down this painting – St. Matthew and the Angel – which hangs in the Vatican Museums, and which, after we returned from Rome, I could never identify. It’s by Guido Reni, known, one article I read said, […]

A brief blurb with some highlights of the upcoming Supreme Court term – I had no idea this case had made it this far, or was even being litigated: Courts routinely strike down prayer and religious instruction in public schools. […]

George Weigel in the LA Times: Responsibility for challenging these distorted views of God and the distorted understanding of moral duty that flows from them rests, first, with Islamic leaders. But too few Islamic leaders, the pope seemed to suggest, […]

Just passing some points along… If you live in Victoria, BC, check out the new Edith Stein Society, which kicks off its efforts this weekend with talks from George Weigel. Speaker Gil Bailie has a blog – because of the […]

Two interesting notes from today, September 20. It’s the memorial of the "Martyrs of Korea" – 103 of the many martyrs that country produced: For centuries, Korea was closed to all outside influences, and all contact with foreigners was forbidden. […]

A former Curial staffer clears it all up: Jesuit Father Tom Michel, who served on the Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue from 1981 to 1994 as the Vatican’s top expert on Islam, writing in the Turkish political journal Yeni Asya […]

Holy Spirit Interactive has a page on "Our Lady of Arabia" In 1956, Bishop Stella sent a petition to the Holy See to proclaim Our Lady of Arabia, Patroness of the Vicariate Apostolic of Kuwait. The following year, granting the […]

From Australia: Cardinal Pell has labelled the response of some Australian Muslim leaders to the issue as "unhelpful", singling out the responses of Sheik Hilali and Ameer Ali of the federal Government’s Muslim Community Reference Group as being "unfortunately" typical. […]

There’s lots today. Blogger Rich Leonardi had a commentary in the Cincinnati Enquirer yesterday. Blogger Patrick O’Hannigan analyzes in the American Spectator: If the only response to that from Muslim authorities is that it is rude even to ask such […]

We’d wondered if the glassed-in Popemobile would be in use at this week’s General Audience. Nope: What he said, especially about ManuelGate: Looking back at the stages of his visit to Germany, Benedict XVI said: “A particularly beautiful experience for […]

A bishop takes the initiative: In Pakistan Catholic and Muslim scholars and clerics met to study the Pope’s Regensburg speech which caused Muslims to protest. The meeting, which took place at the Bishop’s residence, is the initiative of the local […]

A statement from Communion and Liberation: In regard to the attacks against Benedict XVI by Islamic exponents, Fr. Julián Carrón, President of the Fraternity of Communion and Liberation, has issued the following declaration: “Concerning the accusations against Benedict XVI, three […]

So the reader who passed on this link to a podcast – part of a new podcasting venture from the Catholic Information Center in DC. jokingly entitled his email. It’s called the "K Street Podcast" and the program he draws […]

An American Life League update on the situation posted at Catholic Exchange – : When the South Dakota abortion ban was passed, Planned Parenthood instantly realized that a legal challenge of the law could actually result in the reversal of […]

This from a Notre Dame student: I am an undergraduate at the University of Notre Dame, and I wanted to mention that I have started a Gregorian chant schola that will besinging at a mass in the Alumni Hall Chapel […]

I give up. But this one has a broader implication and will interest many of you – Der Spiegel interviews Cardinal Kasper (thanks MK!) SPIEGEL: Why is dialogue with Islam so difficult for the Catholic Church? Kasper: There is no […]

Prepare to be astonished. The article link is from 2005 – a bit more, including more links, from Wikipedia. The essence is this: on some land 20 km outside of Madrid, a man is building a cathedral. (okay pedants…no bishop, […]

First it was Duel of the Seminarians: Now it’s this: A new CD, "Lost in Ecstasy" from the seminarian-band "Priestie Boyz" – (There are mp3 excerpts at the link) About the band members Their blog In case you’re not familiar […]

A couple more. In a separate post because that last one was plenty long enough, and these take a slightly different angle: In the Chicago Tribune, Paul M. Cobb is an associate professor of Islamic history at the University of […]

Probably not. But at least we’ll a wrap-up a bunch of commentary in one place. It’s a lot. Benedict the Brave – today’s WSJ: This is not an invitation to the usual feel-good interfaith round-tables. It is a request for […]

Yesterday, Senator John Kerry gave a speech to students at Pepperdine Univeristy on faith – his personal faith, and faith and politics. Here’s the text. So, yes, I prayed hard while I was in Vietnam and I made it back, […]

SIrius Satellite radio launches its Catholic Channel on September 26. Huge kudos to Lino Rulli for landing a great timespot – 5-8 pm eastern every day – including the weekends? I’m not sure. But whatever the case – that’s fantastic. […]

Do go to AsiaNews for stories – they post about 5 or 6 a day on matters Asian – several today in which you’ll be interested. An overview of reactions: On behalf of the World Union of Muslim Ulemas, Qatari […]

The Turkish bishops who met today confirmed the Pope’s trip’s still a go: The bishops of Turkey today followed Ankara’s Foreign Affairs Minister, Abdullah Gul, in confirming that the visit of Benedict XVI will take place as planned, from 28 […]

That is the question being asked by many, including some Catholics on the ‘net: Mark Shea: Some of my readers take umbrage when I suggest it was a blunder for Pope Benedict to have used a cite that was bound […]

There are hints, here and there, articulated most crassly in that Al-Jazeera cartoon, and more subtly in the Newsweek piece blogged below – what they all have in common is contrasting John Paul and Benedict, which is, of course, a […]

Kathy Shaidle wondered if Christopher Hitchens was having to recalibrate his enemies list. Nope To read the bulk of the speech, however, is to realize that, if he had chanced to be born in Turkey or Syria instead of Germany, […]

A Pope’s Holy War – That’s the title of Jon Meacham’s Newsweek piece on the contretemps. Once again we ask…who’s fomenting discord? The point is, as is the case with much of the analysis, grandly missed. Meacham thinks he addresses […]

From the website AntiWar.com by Justin Raimando, whose background is libertarian/paleoconservative and in recent years: During the 1992, 1996, and 2000 presidential elections, Raimondo supported the campaigns of Pat Buchanan, both as a Republican and in the Reform Party. Being […]

Magister’s column also has quite a bit of perspective on the trip to Turkey. This is one of the best summations of the situation there that I’ve seen. Pass it on. The dialogue was not a mere academic exercise. What […]

Sandro Magister’s take: Less diplomacy and more Gospel: this is the course that Joseph Ratzinger is setting for the Church’s central governance. Even in the choice of archbishop Mamberti as foreign minister, what the pope kept in mind even more […]

…will the US call in the Papal Nuncio for a chat, demanding that the Pope withdraw his insulting remarks? The remarks being the Pope’s remarks to a meeting sponsored Pontifical Academy for Life and by the International Federation of Catholic […]

Here: It occurred to me the other day that the Christian God is not "Great." To say that God is Great ("Allahu Akbhar") is NOT, as it is in Islam, the central tenet of our religion. The Christian God is […]

Much about the murder of this religious sister, member of the Consolation Missionaries, shot in the back on the steps of the hospital in which she served the poor of Somalia. An elderly nun shot four times at the Somali […]

The question is…what is the real significance of these protests? It is one thing to read articles about a hundred Muslims outside Westminster Cathedral, some riots in Basra, a hundred guys outside the Vatican embassy in Jakarta…here and there, outrage, […]

An Orthodox Archbishop speaks out: In a scathing attack, barely 48 hours after a Somali Islamic cleric called for Muslims to kill the Pope for his Tuesday utterances, Archbishop Christodoulos told a sermon in Athens that Christians in Africa were […]

The mysterious and idiocynratic Spengler, who writes for the Asia Times, is characteristically direct, analyzing jihad, saying that it (broadly defined, not simply as "holy war") is essential to Islam: There is no Grace in Islam, no miracle, no expiatory […]

…in Basra. Group vows war: The statement by an umbrella group led by Iraq’s branch of al Qaeda came after the Pontiff said on Sunday he was deeply sorry Muslims had been offended by his use of a medieval quotation […]

Pray for little Naomi Coffin, and her family, including blogger Patrick Coffin, as well as all disabled babies and children and their families: Each visit invariably shows us another tiny thing about her to fall in love with, so each […]

Christopher Orlet in the Spectator: THE DIFFICULTY, TO MY mind, is figuring out why the Pope chose to cite this particular quotation from this particular nonentity? Certainly many popes have made similar statements about jihad and Benedict would have had […]

Christopher Blosser of the Benedict Blog reminds us of the speech that Benedict gave in his meeting with Muslims last year in Cologne. It is in this spirit that I turn to you, dear and esteemed Muslim friends, to share […]

Terry Teachout posts: Readers interested in the works of G.K. Chesterton will remember that he owned a toy theater about which he wrote on many occasions. The Catholic Lending Library of Hartford is deaccessioning fifteen drawings made by Chesterton (who […]

Today is my daughter Katie’s 15th birthday, and to celebrate, I took her down to Cincinnati to see the touring production of The Light in the Piazza (today was the last day in the Queen City – from here it […]

There are several good roundups (noted below), but as has been the case with many past controversies, Roman Catholic and Anglican, the Web Elves are hard at work, and will undoubtedly continue. Go. Lots and lots of links to news […]

Peter Robinson provides background at the Corner: Manuel II Paleologus reigned as emperor of Byzantium from 1391, the year in which he is believed to have composed the text from which the Pope quoted last week, until his death in […]

Use this thread to comment on what the Pope said in the Angelus address today, as well as anything else he or his people have said in relation to the topic. Links: The Pope’s original address in Regensburg (Vatican English […]

I’m gone all day, taking Katie, who turns 15 today, down to Cincinnati to this. Seemed nice and mangeable – a 1pm matinee – until Michael remarked that the Bengals play today. At home. At 1pm. Great. Maybe I’ll see […]

Two beatifications today: ON SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 17, IN THE SQUARE OF THE BASILICA of St. Stephen in Budapest, Hungary, the beatification will take place of Servant of God Sara Salkahazi of the Institute of the Sisters of Assistance. The future […]

I can’t read a word of it, but Avvenire, the newspaper of the Italian bishops’ conference apparently runs several strong articles today. This comment at JihadWatch offers a summary of some of the pieces. Look to the Papa Ratzinger Forum, […]

CNN has a decent round-up of the past couple of days, but for one point: A transcript of the pope’s remarks obtained by The Associated Press television network reads.. ..like it’s some hugely secret document that only Professional Journalists have […]

Link to article in Der Spiegel here. Translated in PRF on this thread: The attacks against the Roman pontifex are especially grotesque. The harsh criticism, which often is accompanied by threats of violence, of Benedict’s speech in Regensburg is not […]

The UK Observer takes a fair look at Benedict and Islam: Benedict, as his friend and associate noted, is sincerely committed to dialogue between Christians and Muslims, but he also believes that the link between terrorist violence and its sponsorship […]

From the UAE: Dear readers, this is no place or occasion to reply to the charges brought up against Islam and its followers. Anyone who has sincerely attempted to study the faith and its history would agree that it has […]

It continues. I’m going to plan on 4 more posts for Sunday – this one, which will continue to list threats and warnings of one sort or another against the Holy Father, then one which will cover the Sunday editorial […]

Fr. DeSouza, like David Warren, writes from Canada: In response to this historical excursus in an academic lecture by one of the world’s most erudite theologians, we are witnessing a wave of madness and malice, no doubt an embarrassment to […]

Caption: Pakistani Muslims shout anti-Papal slogans as they march during a protest in Karachi. The Pope voiced deep regret at outraged Muslim reaction to a speech he gave in Germany, but stopped short of retracting his remarks, arguing they had […]

David Warren: While I don’t mean to pick especially on the BBC, when other mainstream media are often as culpable, they are worth singling out here to show the amount of sheer, murderous evil of which this taxpayer-funded network is […]

Here: And while I am on the subject of ironic forms of public protest, what would happen if leaders of the kicked-off-campus Georgetown University chapter of InterVarsity Christian Fellowship applied to the leadership of the Jesuit school for permission to […]

There’s much of it in the comments below – I’ll just pull this, from long-time reader and wise commentor Julia in this thread: Note the circumstances of the Byzantine Emperor’s remarks. He is at his military camp outside Constantinople – […]

Ruth Gledhill’s TimesOnline blog post today, commented on by Gashwin Gomes here. She really drops the ball on this one: An initial sceptic, I came round fast to Benedict XVI after seeing the way his honesty and spirituality shone through […]

1. What happened was that the media wrote headlines like "Pope takes private time after slamming Islam." Period. Considering that none of those protesting a presumed association between Islam and violence by burning the Pope in effigy, attacking churches or […]

Just a few notes so far, with a bit of repetition, which I will hope you will forgive. First, the text of the Pope’s Regensburg address is here. Cardinal Bertone’s statement from today – in English and Italian – is […]

A statement from Telesphore Toppo, archbishop of Ranchi and president of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of India. This is the time for all Christians to be patient and pray for those who do not understand. The situation which comes at […]

Churches attacked in West Bank and Gaza: In a phone call to The Associated Press, a group calling itself the "Lions of Monotheism" claimed responsibility for those attacks, saying they were carried out to protest the Pope’s remarks in a […]

Michelle Malkin with the fully expected news of photos and death threats: Also a link to Robert Spencer at Jihan Watch explaining the "Mr. Pope, Be Within Your Limits" banner Look at that sign. "Mr. Pope be with in your […]

Rod Dreher, at his Beliefnet blog, takes on the NYTimes editorial: (His annotation in bold) In 2004 when he was still the Vatican’s top theologian, he spoke out against Turkey’s joining the European Union, because Turkey, as a Muslim country […]

CNS on a recent Vatican-sponsored convocation: Specifically, Pope Benedict asked the Vatican academy to gather top-notch neurologists and other experts together to present statistics on cases of brain death. The pope wanted to know if the growing science of transplantation […]

Fr. Stephanus, O.S.B. has translated an editorial that appeared in Corriere della Sera, written by a leading Italian Muslim: To deny the historical reality is simply foolish, and it can generate nothing but foolishness. I recall that one of the […]

From the new Secretary of State: Given the reaction in Muslim quarters to certain passages of the Holy Father’s address at the University of Regensburg, and the clarifications and explanations already presented through the Director of the Holy See Press […]

The NYTimes demands an apology: (underlining and red stuff my emphasis. I’m really offended at outraged that the New York Times has insulted the leader of my religious tradition. I demand an apology! More tomorrow.) There is more than enough […]

I had about a third more visitors today than normal, mostly due, I’m sure, to folks searching for information on the shocking Muslim outrage of the day. Just a reminder: Read Benedict’s speech. It’s challenging reading, and you’ll have to […]

Nice video of a boys’ choir – Tölzer Knabenchor – performing for the Pope at the Munich airport. The choir is wonderful, of course, but the funny part comes as the director rather desperately searches his jacket for the CD […]

Joseph got a toy that, among other delights, can have its parts re-arranged so it’s a minotaur. I have explained to him several times what a minotaur is, and he likes his toy. Except he can’t remember the name. He […]

…the Vietnamese angle: A drive through eastern New Orleans can be thoroughly depressing. Abandoned businesses with shattered signs and homes with punched-out windows line silent streets. It can be difficult for outsiders to get their bearings in this part of […]

Of course, although it was a quotation and not His Holiness’s own words, it’s worth pointing out that he obviously did choose an unusually vivid and obscure quotation. Had any of us heard of this emperor before, besides Matthew? In […]

Daniel Larison: But the difference between the two conceptions of God is not something that would require you to dig up Manuel II’s dialogue or be familiar with the intricacies of Islamic theology. The crucial difference is that for Christianity, […]

Coincidentally, AsiaNews reports on the itinerary : The programme of the apostolic voyage is now official and on Monday 18 September, members of the Bishops’ Conference of Turkey will come together in Istanbul to define the final logistical details. Two […]

Egyptian-born Jesuit Samir Khalil Samir puts the events of the week and the day in context, at AsiaNews: Rather than criticising Islam, the Pope is actually offering it a helping hand by suggesting that it do away with the cycle […]

As blogged here a few days ago, the Archdiocese of Philadelphia will be the site of an event in which victims of clerical sexual abuse will speak of their experiences to priests and others. There is more about the event […]

Reported at the Papa Ratzinger Forum: Mario Mauro, vice-president of the European Parliament, said in a statement today, "Let us defend the Pope without ifs or buts, let us defend reason," in answer to the reactions from the Muslim world […]

…gee, thanks Your Holiness. Nice first day on the job… Photo source From VIS, on this morning’s ceremony in which the reigns of State were passed from Sodano to Bertone: In a brief greeting addressed to the Holy Father, Cardinal […]

From Ankara. I really have no idea what it means. More photos here, including this study in contrast, unintended, I’m sure: A Muslim family walks to Friday prayers at the mosque in Rome: A police officer stands guard outside a […]

John Allen’s new column is up: He didn’t go to Bavaria, but offers observations and notes: As we have seen during his other public voyages, this is Benedict the pastor at work. For the most part, he avoids theological speculation […]

When I first blogged on the French report on Brother Roger, I was careful not to use the word "converted" not only because that’s not the word we use for baptized Christians who joing the Catholic Church – "coming into […]

This is not an effective way to argue against someone who has questioned your religion’s relationship to violence: From a Daily Mail story. These are Muslims in Indian burning an effigy of the Pope. Because, you know, questioned using religion […]

Another irony is that during this week in which Muslim outrage finds a new object, Oriani Fallaci has died, after a long battle with cancer. Michelle Malkins provides a tribute and links The vicar apostolic in Anatolia responds Fr. Lombardi […]

Raise your hand if you’re tired of Muslim "outrage." First, in case you’re very late to the party, here is the English text, from the Vatican website, of the Pope’s address to the faculty at the Univeristy of Regensburg. (Here […]

Some reports: Philadelphia Inquirer: Decrying a climate of "fear" and division in the nation, Casey called for a renewed commitment to the "common good" and for political leadership that demands shared sacrifice in order to achieve it. "We must recommit […]

Dayton’s Theology on Tap had one of their speakers cancel, and asked me to do a last-minute fill-in. So, sure. September 28, 7:30 Oregon Express (336 E. 5th St., Dayton, OH) It will be a bit about DVC, more about […]

I’ve been trying to embed video on this page for ages, but could never swing the simple copy-and-paste "embed" code thing. It never worked. I think this does. It’s an ad for an expensive lager, Stella Artois – information here […]

The Professor on the Pope’s Regensburg lecture: Yet, to see this speech solely in terms of a clash of civilizations between Christianity and Islam would be error. Instead, the Pope is staking out a set of claims about the relationshiop […]

Philip Yancey in Christianity Today: • Resiliency. The West tends to view Africa as the news portrays it: a relentless succession of disasters. Africans themselves, however, go about their lives with survival skills honed over time. After several centuries of […]

John Thavis of CNS: In talks in Munich and Regensburg, the pope developed a central message of his trip: that in a world where religions and cultures risk colliding, Christians must make sure their faith is firm and is reflected […]

And it’s an honest one for my many erudite readers. If one wanted to read a critical, objective examination of Islam’s origins and the origins of the Koran, where would one go? You know…the sort of thing that undergraduates encounter […]

There are many profoundly sad things in the world, so one hesitates to mention the minor ones. But then, if they do portend or point to something greater, perhaps we have an excuse. For me, one of the most disheartening […]

Jim Manney posts on the latest entry in the Loyola Classics series: Cosmas or the Love of God, the latest book in the Loyola Classics series, is a short, quiet novel, written by a French banker three decades ago, about […]

Some brief hits: The new Apocalypto trailer – gotta say, I’m intrigued… Marriage and the Law: A Statement of Principles via Rob Vischer at Mirror of Justice Also via MOJ, news of a Focolare event this weekend in Hungary: In […]

Jen Ambrose sends along the message from Democrats for Life that Robert Casey Jr.’s speech today at CUA Law School will be webcast at the law school site – I can’t determine where. If you can figure it out, post […]

Sandro Magister sums up the Pope’s visit to Bavaria, quoting from various homilies, and offering his own analysis. This might be a good piece to pass on to the stubborn Benedict-doubters in your life who are still insistent on viewing […]

More photos of today’s events. At Mass in the Cathedral in Freising, where he was ordained, he preached, abandoning his written text, saying something like, "Whoever wants to, can read it later.": Surrounded by his fellow Bavarians, including his brother […]

There is nothing I shall wantA couple of weeks ago, a memorial Mass for Michael was held here in Birmingham at the Cathedral. The bishop presided and offered a very nice, even charming homily in which he first focused on the Scripture readings of the day, and then turned to ...

Revolutionary Road - Is it just me?Why am I the only person I know..or even "know" in the Internet sense of "knowing" - who didn't hate it? I didn't love it, either. There was a lot wrong with it. Weak
characterization. Miscasting. Anvil-wielding mentally ill prophets.But ...

Books for LentNo, I'm not going to ask you about your Lenten reading lists...although I might.Not today, though. This post is about giving books to others. For Lent, and a long time after that.
You know how it goes during Lent: Prayer, Fasting and ...

Why Via MediaHow about....because I'm lame and hate thinking up titles to things? No?Okay...how about...St. Benedict?
Yes, yes, I know the association with Anglicanism. That wasn't invovled in my purpose in naming the joint, but if draws some Googling ...

Brave Heart?I don't know about you, but one of effects of childbirth on me was a compulsion to spill the details. All of them.The whole thing was fascinating to me, so of course I assumed everyone else should be fascinated as well in the recounting of every ...